March 2010

Observation

In partnership with APS, Psi Chi, the National Honors Society in Psychology, offers grants for undergraduates to conduct a summer research project under the direction of an APS member. Winning students receive a $3,500 stipend and a complimentary annual membership to APS. Faculty sponsors receive a $1,500 stipend. Following are profiles of the summer 2009 recipients and their projects. For more information on this program, see www.psichi.org/awards.... More>

Observation

Monetary gain stimulates activity in the brain — even the mere possibility of receiving a reward is known to activate an area of the brain called the striatum. A team of Japanese researchers measured striatum activation in volunteers performing a monetary task and found that high-risk/high-gain options caused higher levels of activation than did more conservative options.... More>

Observation

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that over-sees participant protections in all HHS-supported research, announced this past January that federal regulations do not allow the penalization of students who sign up for a research study as part of a course requirement and then fail to show up for the appointment without cancelling in advance.... More>